Knitting machine



Sept. 13, 1932. M. c. MILLER V KN'ITTING MACHINE original, Filed Aug. 9. 1926 18 Sheets-Sheet 1 IENTo i l r ATTORNEYS.

Sept. 13, 1932.

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Sept'. 13, i932.

M. C. MILLER KNITTING MACHINE original Filed Aug. 9, 192e 1,8 Sheets-*Sheet 8 Sept. 13, 1932. M. c. MILLER 1,876,722

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Septu 1351932. M. c. MILLER KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed Aug. 9. 1926 Sem 3l, 1932. M. c. MILLER I 1,876,722

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Patented Sept. .13, 1932 .a

UNITED STATES MAX C, MILLER, OF- CUDEBLAND, RHODE ISLAND mmzrnre MACHINE Application led August 9, 1926, Serial No. 128,059. Renewed February 8, 1932.

My invention relates to fiat full fashioned a tubular stocking we are not interested as knitting machines.

The objects to beeattained are .to produce automatically a stocking very similar toA that 5 now produced on so-called Cotton frames.

In machines of this type, the method of procedure is as follows: The setting up at the welt being performed manually after which the welt fabricis knitted by power, then man- 10 ually turning the welt, after which the leg of the stocking is knitted by power to the point where the narrowing begins, at which time a group of transferring points at each side of the fabric lift off a group of loops 15 forming the edges of the fabric, and move said groups inwardly toward each other, one or two needles at a time, transferring .the loops held by them back to the needles, thereby narrowing the fabric one or two needles at a time at each side of the fabric, the narrowing taking place at some little distance inside the edges of the fabric. The fabric to the outside of the narrowing needles I will call the standing wales. This method of proafter which the needles forming the instep cease knitting, while the needles on each side of these instep needles continue knitting forming the heel flaps, which are at their ends narrowed in the same manner as described for the leg narrowing, after Vwhich the stocking is castfrom the machine.

This leg blank is now transferred manually to a series of points along the line of the selvage formed on thel inner side of the heel iaps and the course of loops across the instep. These points which are in a bar, then through manual manipulation, are caused to transfer the loops held thereon to a footing machine, upon which machine the foot is knitted. Directly after being so transferred, this footing machine, which is also equipped withv narrowing points, narrows the foot similar to the previous leg narrowing heretofore described. Knitting 'of the foot continues, 'followed by narrowing points going int-o operation that narrow the toe, after which the stocking is cast from, the footer. This I will call the complete stocking blank.

With the subsequent operationsnecessary cedure continues until the ankle is reached, Y

to fabricate this complete stocking blank intothe method for so doing is alike under the lCotton systems and the contemplated system.

The contemplated complete stocking blank having allV the earmarks of a stocking above described, with the exception of not having a turned welt, also having a slightly different toe than is customarily made on present day `Cotton frames.

lThis difference in the toe resides in the fact that no gussets are inserted between the top and underside 4ofthe toe, the new toe, however, being the same shape as the gusseted toe. c

The primary difference in generic principle between the above described method and the contemplated method resides that in the formerthe stocking blank is shaped by narrowing and in the latter the shaping is accom lished through widening.

T e principal dilerence in generic prini ciples between theu above described mechanical means'and the contemplated means to accomplish the shaping is that -in the former the standing Wale loops are transferred from one group' of needles to another group of needles, the loops, themselves, being moved through intermediatory transfer points, whereas Vin the contemplated mechanical means for shaping, the standing wale needles, with their loops are moved bodily outwardly, permitting the adding of needles, no intermediatory devices being used, and no loops transferring takes place. l c

These mechanisms for loop transferring are in the Cotton and `similar systems very delicate in manufacture and maintenance, requiring that an absolute register take place between the points and the needles, necessitating absolute lmechanical building and "movement'accuracy, maintaining this aconly accuracy necessary is that suitable mechanism be provided to ensure the standing Wale needles maintaining the gauge while in any of their various positions, needle straightness being not at all essential.

Another outstanding advantage of the contemplated method over the former method resides in that the foot is completed on the same machine that knits the leg and yet produces practically the same type of stocking as the latter. This is of great importance, as it eliminates the possibility of loop variation across the instep. This variation in the former method is brought about by the fact that the leg at this point is formed from yarn feeding from another bobbin, necessitating, to get anyreasonable like appearance of loops, absolute like thickness, type and quality of the two yarns, absolute like-wound bobbins, with absolute like tension and adjustment of sinkers, dividing sinkers, needle draw, take up tension and all points having to do with the forming of the loops, also, of course, necessitating great care and accuracy in the actual manual transferring of the leg blank to the footing machine.

While in the specific drawings herewith, only one section of the machine is shown and described, it is perfectly obvious that the parts are so co-ordinated and designed as to permit a multiplicity of sections to 'be used in the complete machine and that in their operation as a multiple section machine expansion and contraction and Wear of parts, which operates to a great detriment in present systems, will have no effect and that there is no great accuracy required, nor Will Wear develop, in the movements of widening in this machine as is in the former system, where screw shafts and similar mechanisms must,

by a partial rotation, accurately register ele- `ments, one with the other.

Through the use of the contemplated machine, it will be possible to automatically,

Without stopping, lproduce complete full vfashioned stocking blanks and that with very little skill on the part of the operators and without laboring under the insurmountable difficulties as with present systems.

The contemplated machine incorporates, by preference, although not necessarily, in its system, t-he jack sinkers, dividing sinkers and en-ma'sse needle movement, the one outstanding dii'er'ent being in the construction of the elements that knock over the formed loops and hold down the fabric as the needles rise for the next course.

With the Cotton and similar systems, it is possible to widen fabric having standing wales but only through the use of transferring points and similar mechanisms. When machines of this type are used for so Widening, a hole results at the point in the fabric in A which the widening needle appears for the first time. This hole is caused bythe sinkers feeding an amount of yarn equal to the amount fed to all other needles, Whereas this added needle in the first course in which it appears, does not form a loop, not doing so until the nextcourse.

In the contemplated system, a sinker on both sides of any widening needle, are in the first course inV which such needle appears, caused to become inactive, -no yarn being kink fed to this needle. The inactive sinkers going into action on the next course, in which the Widening needle forms a regular loop although said sinkers could remain inactive if found desirable for another course, in order to make even a more prominent pucker.

This feature of the invention is not limited in its use to the typeof machine here disclosed, but can well be used in existing types of widening Cotton frames.

The mode of operation vof the contemplated machine is as follows: Yarn is fed to the needles, of which the proper number to form the tip of the toe, including among them, standing Wale needles and body waleneedles, are active, the toe being gradually widened by the standing Wale needles stepping out wardly on both sides, body wale needles being inserted as the standing wale needles are stepped out, needles at the same time being added one at a time to the stepping out needles, until the width of the desired foot is attained, after which the foot is knitted, followed by the standing Wale needles stepping outwardly with body Wale needles being added, until the desired widened width of the foot has been attained. After which the needles forming the sole portions, which are on both sides of a group of needles. forming the instepi portion, alone continue knitting, with the instep portion holding their loops but not knitting. The sole loops so formed constitute ravel loops. Just previous to the formation of these ravel loops, the sole needles should, by preference, form slightly longer loops, to aid in latertransferring and looping these sole portions to the inner selvage loops of the subsequently knitted heel flaps. After which these sole portions are cast off the needles, the instep needles continuing to hold their loops. Y

A new fabric is now set up on the sole needles, the first course preferably being knit on alternate needles as illustrated in Fig. 26

to form ravels on the narrow ends of the heel 

